Location, Location
by The Lovely Cynic
Summary: Written for the "26 Locations Meme" on Livejournal. 26 prompts involving Matt and Mello. Prompt #2: "Private Card Game".
1. Port

**Location, Location  
Prompt #1: Port**

**Author's Notes: **This is written for the **26 Locations Meme **on the **MelloMatt **community on LJ. It's been quite awhile since I've written anything concerning Death Note, so I hope I haven't lost my touch!

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Matt had always had a strange asphyxiation with the sea. Its rolling waves and reflective surface tugged something inside of him, making his breath catch in his throat and his heart palpitate in a strange, off-beat rhythm. No matter where he went, he was never comfortable unless he was close to the ocean. Not having that large, ever moving body of water somewhere near him made him feel claustrophobic and suffocated—like the air around him was too hot, too heavy, too constricting....

That's why New York City was perfect for him. With the Atlantic Ocean nearby and the hoards of nameless, faceless people, Matt felt comfortable. He could take the subway close to his ocean and at the same time remain inconspicuous in a city as large as New York.

When Mello came, though, his whole perspective on the city shifted. Suddenly, he felt as if he could be nowhere without being watched—as if someone was always lurking around the corner and ready to strike. Perhaps it was the tension Mello carried in his muscles that made the redhead feel this way. The blond was always to pounce at any moment, like a wildcat lurking in the shadows.

New York just wasn't comfortable anymore....

So he stayed inside with his computers, his games, his cameras. He spied and gamed his days away, in near constant contact with Mello on his cell phone. His beloved sea was long forgotten in a whirlwind of Kira, surveillance, Misa Amane, pale skin and blond hair.

"Matt."

Matt turned his head away from his electronically beeping game and hit the pause button. If Mello was contacting him, it was probably important. "Yeah, what is it, Mello?" he sighed, stretching his arms up and leaning back in his chair. He feigned ennui, but always listened intently to his blond companion.

"Amane's asleep."

"So?" The redhead arched an eyebrow. He didn't see how saying this pertained to the Kira case. Matt _knew _that Misa Amane was asleep; he was watching her, after all.

"So get your ass down to the Staten Island Ferry terminal. I have something that I need to discuss with you."

"Right...." Matt hung up at that. Sometimes he felt like Mello's dog—always answers when called.

He stood up, legs creaking an cracking from hours—maybe days, he wasn't sure—of being unused. He snapped his goggles in place, pulled on his warm, fur-lined vest and boots and promptly made his way out the door. Mello was expecting him in no more than half an hour—that's how long, by subway, it took to reach the Staten Island Ferry from their apartment.

The redhead could only think what Mello _wanted _him there for, though, as he sat in a near-empty train car. The metallic, hollow screech of the subway rang through his head and he needed _some_ sort of distraction. Perhaps Mello had found a clue concerning Kira or the Second Kira? No... that was unlikely. If it was something like that, then the blond probably would have just told him over the phone.

Oh God... what if Mello was planning to _kill _Matt? The gamer wouldn't put it past the ex-Mafia boss, either. Killing an accomplice was probably something Mello did all the time back in the mob. But what reason did he have to kill _Matt? _It wasn't like he was doing a particularly _bad _job surveying Amane.... Besides, Mello wouldn't kill his best friend!

Would he?

Matt started chewing on his bottom lip in a nervous habit he had picked up in the past couple months. God, even _thinking _about the fiery chocoholic put him on edge.

With his thoughts racing and stomach doing back flips, the redhead exited the subway car and moved as quickly as possible to the ferry terminal. On the short walk there, the possibility of Mello wanting to _kill _him seemed less and less likely. The ferry was always crowded with people—both locals and tourists alike—and there was no way you could get away with _murder _in such a densely packed area. Though this thought was in his mind, Matt still didn't feel any less nervous than he did five seconds ago.

The gamer suddenly felt a hand clamp onto his shoulder. It ripped right through his train of thought, throwing it off its tracks so violently that he jumped and very nearly _yelped_.

"You should watch your back," he heard Mello snort. The redhead turned around to be met with a pair of darkly shaded eyes. A curtain of blond hair fell over the scarred side of the blond's face, shielding it from the stares of the world. "Come on, I need to talk to you."

Talk? Was that really all? Matt could only wonder if that was the only thing on the agenda for that late afternoon....

They got to the edge of the boarding area right as a ferry was starting to leave. The people from the previous one were clearing out, leaving the terminal feeling abnormally quiet. All the pair could hear were the call of gulls overhead, the soft tapping of waves against steel as they lapped against the terminal's edge and the occasional honk of a taxi outside. It was strangely... calming.

"I..." Mello was the first to speak. There was a troubled look etched onto his features, one that was rarely seen. In fact, it was rare to see _any _sort of emotion on the blond's face nowadays.... "I'm sorry for dragging you into all this," he said in a rush of air, like he was embarrassed to say it.

Matt blinked and stared. What else could he possibly say to that? Mello was _apologizing_. Mello never apologized for anything, even when they were kids and he pushed Matt over and made him scrape his knees on the harsh concrete. Never even a single apology in any form. Mello was unforgiving, damn it, he wasn't supposed to say things like this!

"Aren't you going to say anything?" the blond snapped, lip curling back slightly into a half-hearted snarl.

Matt couldn't say anything. There was nothing _to _say. Words escaped him suddenly and all he could do was lean forward and press the lightest, feather-soft kiss he could manage onto those pliant lips in front of him.

"Thank you."

---

**End Notes: **You can decide who says "thank you" at the end. :3

**Next Prompt: **"Private Card Game". _Any suggestions?_


	2. Private Card Game

**Prompt #2: Private Card Game**

A quiet intensity crackled through the air in the middle of the dusty room. There was silence except for the occasional quiet intake of breath or scuttle of mouse's feet across the converted warehouse's wooden floorboards. Blazing blue eyes stared into narrowed green, shaded slightly by the cards held up in front of their faces.

"Want to give up now, Matt?" Mello sneered, a predatory grin spreading across his already feral features.

The redhead's green eyes hardened for a moment. "Not a chance," he scoffed. He peered down at his cards, thoughts racing through his mind. What to do, what to do? A fine sheen of sweat started to accumulate on his forehead and upper lip. His palms were growing clammy and sticky. One wrong move and he would be done, giving Mello all the reason to gloat.

Fuck.

"Hurry up, Matt, I don't have all day," the blond sighed, rolling his eyes.

Matt chewed on the butt of his cigarette. There were so many choices and only one right answer here. This was going to be the time, he thought. This was going to be his time to beat Mello at something! To surpass his supposed superiority and become number one for once, instead of just being there to stroke the blond's inflated ego.

So he couldn't screw this up. Even if it was just a card game.

"Alright, Mel," the redhead let out a rush of air. His heart beat in uneven palpitations, a nervous edge brought to his movements. He stared down the chocoholic for a mere moment before... "Got any threes?"

Silence.

Ice cold blue eyes trailed up from hidden cards, a sinister smirk gracing his features. Oh shit.

"Go fish."

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**Author's Notes: **SHORT! I know. But I really couldn't resist, guys.

**Next prompt: **Opera house.


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